Bass Pro/Gaylord

One of our holiday traditions is to go to Bass Pro to see Santa and then go to the Gaylord hotel to take pictures and check out the sights.  This year we went nice and early to see Santa and didn't have to wait in line.  There was a different Santa than the one that was there last year.  This one was much better.

Writing letters to Santa.

Mailing the letters.

What they didn't know was that I snuck behind them and took the letters out so I could keep them.  :-)

I thought it turned out pretty good.

They love wandering around "the fish store" as they call it.

These pics and the pics below are from Gaylord.  I was trying to get a pic for our Christmas card.

This one was the winner for the card.

The kids had a blast on the Kung Fu Panda snow tubes.  It was definitely worth the money.

My Big 5 Year Old

I find it difficult to see how quickly each year passes and my last little baby is growing up.  In just a few short months he will be done with preschool and then it will be time for kindergarten!  Yipes!  I need to cherish every little moment at home alone with him now because before I know it I will be home alone all day while he's at school.  :-(  Here's my blog all about my big 5 year old!

His eating habits are all over the place.  But one thing remains constant:  his love for popcorn!  He can eat it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.  And perhaps he has eaten it at all of those times. 

He makes everything into a sandwhich.  Everything.  In this picture he is making a chicken nugget/french fry sandwhich.  He also does it with spaghetti/garlic bread, and sandwhiches/chips.  Oh the chips...don't get me started on the "chippies"!  He is obsessed with chips.  I'm pretty sure he could eat an entire bag at one sitting.  He shares the chip obsession with his dad and brother.  I want the sweets!

This is what it looks like when we go to Olive Garden (one of his favorite restaurants).  We don't have enough room for all of his plates.  He eats bread with alfredo dipping sauce, a plate of croutons, a plate of shredded parmesean cheese, potatoes from Mondo's soup, grapes, and his alfredo pasta.  He's not spoiled or anything.  ;-)

He loves to be my little helper.  This picture was from the first time I made cake pops.  He had a good time helping me do all the sprinkles.  Anytime I'm in the kitchen he wants to help me stir or add the seasonings.  He always wants me to put him on the counter right next to me and he will patiently wait until I tell him what to do.

He still loves his big brother.  Sometimes too much.  :-)  He wants to play with him all the time but Ethan is getting to the age where he needs alone time.  Caleb doesn't understand that...or doesn't care.  Most of their battles are when Ethan wants to be left alone or when they are fighting over the same super hero....like we don't have a tub full of them!  But most of the time they get along great.  It warms my heart to hear them chatting away or laughing so hard they can't catch their breath.

One of his favorite little pals is Carson.  He is Ethan's friend Colton's younger brother.  It works out great to have playtime with their family because our boys get along so well!  Too bad they live 30 minutes away so they don't get to play very often except in the summer.  Caleb always says, "Ugh!  Why does Carson have to live so far away?"  :-(

He is still very much into wearing costumes.  On this particular day he wanted to wear his costume out and I chose not to fight him on it.  He had a grand time with everyone commenting on the little pirate.

This is what you wear when you can't decide which super hero to be.

My mom goes the extra mile in trying to make his costumes perfect.  We had to go to her house to get this wig.  Then he needed a scarf (hence the kleenex), and gloves (black mittens).  He was pretty pumped about his "new" Captain Hook costume.  It was ghetto fabulous. ;-)

He is obsessed with the dogs.  Probably because on the days Ethan is at school he doesn't have anyone to play with.  :-(  Gracie is 12 and doesn't really care to play with a 5 year old.  She mainly growls and tries to get away from him.

Lexi is his favorite.  She is 9 and is a better dog for small children.  She lets him sit on her and pull her around by the tail or collar.  I'm constantly getting on to him about being mean to her.  He says, "I'm not being mean!  We're playing!"  Poor dog.  She's a trooper.

And his favorite person...Mommy.  Seriously, he's a bit obsessed.  But Ethan is such a daddy's boy that I will gladly take Caleb as a momma's boy!  Even when he was a tiny baby he would only go to me.  Not Mondo, not my mother...me.  He follows me around the house just like the dog.  When I get out of the shower I'll usually find him playing with super heroes in the bathroom while he was waiting for me.  I hear panic in his voice if he doesn't know where I am (sounds like me as a child).  And just last night he screamed and cried because I was going to take Ethan to basketball practice and leave him home with Mondo.  He said he only wanted Mommy.  But of course Daddy saved the day with a chippie-fest, popcorn, and the Avengers movie.


We love you sweet Caleb!  You're one of a kind and our last tiny baby.  Don't grow up too fast!